487-491 Columbus Avenue

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A trio of 5-story Renaissance-revival (with Neo-Grec elements) residential buildings completed together in 1892. Designed by Francis A. Minuth, they are arranged in an A-B-A pattern, clad in yellow-painted brick with beige stone trim above black cast-iron-and-glass storefronts. Each building has a glass door and transom next to its storefronts, at the south end of Nos. 487 & 491, and at the north end of 489. The upper floors have four bays of single-windows.

At Nos. 487 & 491 there is stone banding on the 2nd floor, with a lintel course across the top, while the 3rd floor has a sill and lintel course. The 4th floor has round-arched windows lined with stone, with keystones, and in between the arches are simple stone roundels. Across the top of the keystones is a thin string course setting off the top floor, where the windows have a sill course and lintel course, with the lintel over each window stair-stepping up to a short keystone at the center of each. A black iron fire escape with basket-style landings runs down the middle two bays of both facades.

No. 489 has splayed stone lintels over the 2nd-floor windows, and thin sill courses at the 3rd & 5th floors, both of which have round-arched windows; the 3rd floor has stone voussoirs with keystones, while the 5th floor has thinner moldings around the arches, also with keystones. The brick on the 2nd & 3rd floors is banded, and the 4th floor has a broader band course below the windows, which are topped by bracketed stone lintels with cornices. Another black fire escape runs down the middle two bays of this facade.

All three facades are crowned by iron roof cornices with brackets alternating with dentils and swagged panels. They are black at No. 487, and painted green at the northern two. The ground floor are occupied by Unique Boutique Thrift Shop, and Noi Due Cafe.